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"Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind." - Henry James

PITTSGROVE TWP. – The Lawlor Family, known for sharing their annual expansive holiday light display, are throwing open the doors on a new community venture.

They’ve launched a front yard food pantry, open daily 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., stocked with a wide assortment of items from food to toiletries.

“It’s something we’ve never done before, we were thinking about it and …” Pete Lawlor said.

“We felt like there was a need right now for it with everybody having the children home all day, a lot of people not working,” added his wife, Missy. After 25 years of marriage, they tend to finish each other’s sentences.

The Lawlor Family of Salem County, N.J. debuted a front yard food pantry open to those who need assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.(Photo: Lawlor Family)

The pantry works on a simple premise, the Salem County couple said.

Give what you can.

Take what you need.

Each December, the Lawlor Lights display that burns with the brightness of 95,000 bulbs lures crowds to the Porchtown Road property. The hosts encourage spectators to leave behind nonperishable items, which are then donated to the Food Bank of South Jersey.

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Pete and Missy Lawlor of Pittsgrove have one of the biggest drive-through Christmas displays in the area, featuring over 90,000 lights synced to their radio station. (Photo: Adam Monacelli/The Daily Journal)

But with the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lawlors said they see a growing need that can’t wait until December. Having both grown up in families where they didn’t have a lot, the Lawlors said they want to be there for those who may need a hand.

“We’ve helped several that needed help, but they felt funny coming to house and talking to someone,” Peter said.

“So, we put a bunch of stuff out into a pantry where they can just take what they need,” he said. “If the local neighbors want to contribute, they do.”

Keeping with their fondness of a holiday theme, they’ve dubbed the campaign “Stocking the Pantry.”

Keeping with their holiday theme, the Lawlor Family dubbed their new community outreach project, "Stocking the Pantry."(Photo: Lawlor Lights)

The Lawlors view the food pantry as a safety net for those unable to get to food banks on distribution days or may need a little assistance getting through a week.

“It’s a difference approach,” Missy said. “What if you wake up in the morning and realize you don’t have cereal for the kids, you can’t wait until next Tuesday.”

“Or you need a quick dinner and you need some spaghetti you can throw in a pot with some sauce,” Pete said.

Once they agreed on the concept, the Lawlors went looking for a place to house their pantry and noticed their daughters’ bus shelter sitting unused for years after Melissa and Madison got their driver’s licenses.

“It’s re-purposed,” Missy said. “It was at the very end of the driveway; we were worried about it being so close to the road, so we moved it further down.”

Peter built shelves and added doors.

“It turned out great,” Missy added.

Their daughters run the pantry that opened three weeks ago.

Melissa focuses on social media and Madison oversees inventory.

“We feel like it’s not really being utilized right now but it’s still early in the month,” Missy said. “We are figuring from the middle to end of the month, we will probably see more traffic.

It's also a new addition to they are trying to spread the word that it is open and available to anyone who needs it.

“We would like to see more traffic,” Pete said.

The family plans to keep the pantry open and stocked until “nobody needs it," Pete said.

At that time, any remaining food inventory would be given to the Food Bank of South Jersey.

If you go:

Lawlor Lights Food Pantry

Located: 182 Porchtown Road, Pittsgrove

Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily

Distribution: People are urged to take only what they need so the pantry can serve as many as possible.

Donations: Drop non-perishable items on the front porch. Each item is sanitized before it is added to the pantry stock.

Lawlor Lights may be reached through their Facebook Page @lawlorlights

Deborah M. Marko is a senior reporter with The Daily Journal. Currently focused on breaking news and education issues, she also oversees community outreach programs that promote literacy and public safety. Got a story idea? Call 856-563-5256. Follow on Twitter: @dmarko_dj Instagram: deb.marko.dj Help support local journalism with a The Daily Journal subscription.